Saturday, September 18, 2004
Eumenios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Gortyna
Kellia: Jeremiah 9:2-16 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 Gospel: St. John 8:21-30
Jeremiah 9:2-16, especially vss. 13,
14: "...they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, or
walked in accord with it, but have stubbornly followed their own hearts...." In the opening
verse of this passage, note that God seems to long for a "desert a wayfarers' lodging place, that I
might leave My people and go away from them!" (vs. 2). God would seem to be disgusted with
us. In fact, in the history of mankind, the Lord God has proven Himself patient with mankind, so
much so that He permanently assumed our humanity from the Virgin's womb, being "born under
the law to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons" and
have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, thus being able to cry out to Him, 'Abba, Father' (Gal. 4:4-6).
The true God is not exasperated, but, rather, very persistent in trying to win us back to Himself.
In this same vein, also in this same passage, the Lord continues using human expressions to
restrain His People: "Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Behold, I will refine them and test
them'" (Jer. 9:7); and to this He adds the intent to "punish" them and "avenge" Himself (vs. 9).
Then, becoming very graphic, the Lord portrays His coming retribution: "the pastures of the
wilderness...are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not
heard...the birds of the air and the beasts have fled and are gone...Jerusalem [is] a heap of ruins, a
lair of jackals; and...the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant" (vss. 10,11).
What is going on here? Why the use of such linguistic and anthropomorphic devices? Yes, the
people are "heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know Me,
says the Lord" (vs. 6); but looking back over the whole of human history, our benighted race has
been oppressing and deceiving each other and flaunting God through all time. Love is God's
supreme answer, a truth we know from the Gospel, that "God so loved the world that He gave
His only Son" (Jn. 3:16). God knows that sin has consequences, as He pointed out to Adam and
Eve in the garden (Gen. 2:17). His love naturally wishes to save us pain, like the good Father He
is. What we have in this passage, along with God's warnings and appeals, is a catalog of offenses
that cover all of the Ten Commandments, with perhaps two exceptions.
Of the first four commandments, those that deal with our relationship with God Himself (Ex.
20:1-11), only the Commandment concerning the keeping of the Sabbath seems not to be among
the sins which God names. The other three were being blatantly violated - having no other gods,
making graven images, and taking the Name of God in vain (Jer. 9:14,6).
With respect to the other six Commandments, those dealing with relationships between men,
only the one touching on parents (Ex. 20:12) is not specifically named by God in the reading.
However, given the self-serving and the treachery of the people, one can easily imagine that
parents did not fare well in the social and cultural climate in which everyone was warned to
"beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother" (Jer. 9:4). Murder (vs. 8), adultery (vs.
2), theft (vs. 4), bearing false witness (vs. 5), and coveting (vs. 4) all appear to have been the
norm of the day. God's message through Jeremiah deals with history's long list of men's sins.
Beloved, we know the prevalence of all these sins in our society, but what should concern us are
the loving cautions of the Lord - the commission of these sins is bound to result in a "land ruined
and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through" (vs. 12). God will stave off these
outcomes if only we men will repent, yet it seems we are "too weary to repent" (vs. 5).
O God, implant in me the fear of Thy blessed Commandments, that I may trample down all
carnal desires and lead a godly life, thinking and doing such things as are pleasing unto Thee.
